More comfort, more milk

A better designed breastfeeding support for new mothers.

Breast milk is the best start you can give to a baby. It provides natural protection against infection and aids a baby’s ongoing health and development. Many new moms find breastfeeding comes naturally right from the start, but many also find it challenging at first.

An interesting study refers to the "sacred hour" - that first hour after birth when skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her baby are a key part of the success of breastfeeding.

There is evidence that the skin-to-skin contact when a mother holds her baby for the first time stimulates the nerve endings and activates an instinctive response whereby the baby knows how to breastfeed. Philips research has also found a direct correlation between the comfort of the mother and the amount of milk she expresses. Mothers who are relaxed and feel more comfortable express larger volumes of milk, more easily. To better support moms, Philips Avent developed a breast pump that maximizes comfort for the mother.

The use of a breast pump that helps moms express comfortably ensures infants are still being nourished with breast milk."

Sinead Kwant

Vice President, Philips Avent

If she is in the most comfortable position, it will help her express more milk which in turn will enable her to breastfeed for longer. Philips Avent has been talking with mothers to better understand their desires, needs and struggles, and how we can support breastfeeding. This will assist mothers to initiate and sustain breastfeeding as long as possible and to help overcome barriers they may face. As this film movingly shows, this key element of perinatal care was developed under the guidance of a Philips executive who missed her own sacred hour, had problems breastfeeding, had no breastfeeding support and as a consequence was determined to make life as easy as possible for other nursing mothers.

94%

of mothers want to breastfeed their child.

Transforming the sacred bond

A better designed breastfeeding support for new mothers.

An innovative breastfeeding support

One of the most important times in any mother’s life – and indeed in the life of her newborn baby – are those first few weeks when breastfeeding becomes an essential ritual. It’s a period of life that Philips believes can be enhanced with innovation, so providing essential breastfeeding support. The Philips Avent Comfort breast pump is a design innovation that is both caring and impactful. Designed with mother and baby in mind, this ingenious breast pump brings comfort to the process of expressing milk, supporting mothers to breastfeed for longer. When it comes to breastfeeding, comfort is of course the key to success and it’s just as important if a mother wishes to express her breast milk for her baby.

The Philips Avent breast pump supports moms to provide their baby with all-important breast milk – and makes it as easy as possible. It has been specifically designed to ensure that mothers have the most comfortable breastfeeding experience when they are expressing their milk, helping them breastfeed for longer. The Philips Avent breast pump eliminates the need to lean forwards while expressing, aiding relaxation and reducing the likelihood of back pain. Soft silicone petals gently massage the breast to stimulate the let-down reflex and encourage increased milk flow and supply.

It’s not just a clever device, its changing lives too. The U.K. NHS (National Health Service) recommends that mothers breastfeed exclusively for at least six months to achieve maximom health benefits for both mom and baby – but nearly 25% of mothers stop breastfeeding within the first three months due to discomfort, including cracked or sore nipples. The use of a breast pump that helps moms express comfortably – as well as breastfeeding tips that other mothers and healthcare experts can provide - helps to ensure infants are still being nourished with breast milk. An additional 40% of mothers stop breastfeeding because they have a poor or decreased milk supply.

In between feeding times, the use of a breast pump can stimulate the breasts to produce more milk, which can result in stronger feeds. The pump also helps women to continue breastfeeding when they go back to work. Thanks to its compact design, pumping is more discreet making expressing in the workplace or in public spaces easier.
Innovation strategies at Philips are focused on the customer – what they want, how a device can fit in and improve their lives. The Philips Avent breast pump is the kind of useful technology that can help moms to nurse better. It is an innovation that has been designed to support breastfeeding mothers and provide them with the tools they need to give their babies the best start in life.